Cruyff: Netherlands' problems start at the top

By Alex Mott

The former Netherlands star has hit out at those governing Dutch football, arguing that they, not the players, are the reason that Oranje failed at Euro 2012

Netherlands legend Johan Cruyff has spoken out about his country's elimination from Euro 2012, arguing that the blame lies not with the players, but the men at the top of the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB).

The World Cup finalists crashed out of the tournament at the group stage, failing to record a single point amid reports of disharmony amongst Bert van Marwijk's troops.

And the Ajax icon feels that those who were meant to be overseeing Dutch football failed to fix problems that had become apparent in the months leading up to the tournament.

"Every problem starts at the top," Cruyff wrote in his column for Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf. "There have been huge mistakes. Especially in the last year.

"Our performances went downhill, and no measures were taken. Many teams have taken more and more characteristics of Dutch football, and we were pretty much the only team not to.

"What happened at the European Championship was a result of two years earlier [at the World Cup]."

The 65-year-old concluded the article on a positive note, however: "The only bright spot was the debut of Jetro Willems. That is the only innovations I have seen from the Dutch team."